At Texas Inventionworks we believe that all students (no matter their discipline or skill-level) should have equal access and opportunity to learn through doing and transform their ideas into realities.
We are currently working on several initiatives aimed at addressing common challenges faced by students wanting to engage in hands-on cross-disciplinary learning, product development or entrepreneurship. If you’d like to explore more or learn ways to get involved, reach out to our Director, Scott Evans (
Increasing access to early-stage prototyping for all
- Problem: Many students want to engage in hands-on learning but often face barriers that prevent them from doing so. Some simply aren’t sure where to start, worry if their field of study isn’t the “right” fit, while others physically don’t have the resources readily available or aren’t in courses that typically make use of the makerspaces on campus.
- Vision: We imagine a campus-wide learning environment where all students can dive into prototyping whenever or wherever they want. Students should be able to quickly make use of resources to enhance their learning, test out an idea or bring a product to life.
- Our Prototype: Mobile Maker-cart — We’ve designed a mini makerspace on wheels – Our mobile cart is packed with tools, equipment and helpful guides ready to roll right into your classroom and into the hands of students. Contact us to bring it to your own classroom and develop it further.
Supporting students to chart their own learning journey and better showcase making skills and project experience
- Problem: Many of the skills and experiences students gain in our makerspace are often self-directed, pieced together by a scrappy personal drive. This unclear journey can leave many unable to participate, unsure of what resources to utilize and struggling to see their own progress or communicate their skills to employers.
- Vision: Our goal is to provide students with a structured and customizable learning path that empowers them to track their progress with confidence, showcase their skills and feel encouraged to continue to grow and develop.
- Our Prototype: Digital Certification Platform — We are developing an app for students to track their learning progress and earn certificates in equipment training and product development skills. We’d love collaborators to help inform the design and flow of the certificates and use cases for different student groups.
Increasing fluidity for students between our many campus makerspaces and the sharing of resources for the staff that run them
- Problem: Students often face challenges navigating between various makerspaces on campus, encountering different access requirements and training procedures at each location. For students this can create extra time and confusion, hindering their ability to seamlessly engage in cross-disciplinary work. For staff it also leads to redundant efforts in developing training materials and managing machine access.
- Vision: We envision a campus community where our many makerspaces have open paths for collaboration and knowledge-sharing (in equipment training, machine management, student engagement and more).
- Our Prototype: Unified Machine Management System — We’re exploring options in unifying training requirements across different makerspace. We also are in the initial stages of implementing a new machine management system to help track and verify student usage of our machines. If you are interested in learning more or seeing how we can collaborate – get in touch!
